Rio del Mar readies for improvements

The Whaley Sculpture, located on a traffic island at Rio del Mar Boulevard across from the Deer Park Center, is nearly hidden in the trees. (Contributed photo)

APTOS — The Whaley Sculpture, located on a traffic island at Rio del Mar Boulevard across from the Deer Park Center, has been overtaken by trees, nearly hiding it from view.

Trimming the magnolia trees around the sculpture, which was installed in 1978, had no effect on visibility. Removing the trees altogether was not an option as well, so the Rio del Mar Improvement Association decided to take an alternate route: Take the sculpture away from the trees.

"We tried to prune the trees, but it just didn't work," said Melanie Freitas, treasurer of the association. "We got a pushback from people who said they didn't want the trees cut down."